HOFC Sermon Archive: Gospel of Mark Part 54: Principles of Discipleship

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SERMON TIMELINE

10. Jesus Cleanses the Leper

11. Jesus Heals the Paralytic

12. Jesus and the Tax Collector

13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14. Of Wine and Wineskins

15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025

16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts

17. Three Responses to Jesus

18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles

19. The Family of Jesus

20. The Unforgivable Sin

21. The True Family of Jesus

22. Parable of the Four Soils

23. How Well Do You Listen

24. Parable of the Growing Seed

25. Parable of the Mustard Seed

26. Benefits of Private Teaching

27. Jesus Calms the Storm

28. Who is Afraid of Jesus?

29. The Touch of Jesus

30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt

31. Principles of Evangelism

32. Weakness in the Seat of Power

33. The Need for Rest

34. Feeding 5000

35. Jesus Walks on Water

36. Healings at Gennesaret

37. The Danger of Traditions

38. The Source of True Defilement

39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith

40. He Has Done All Things Well

41. Jesus Feeds 4000

42. Jesus Sighs

43. Beware of Leaven

44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida

45. Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?

46. Mindful of the Things of God

47. The Cost of Discipleship

48. The Value of a Soul

49. Ashamed of Jesus and His Word

50. The Transfiguration

51. The Disciples ask Questions

52. The Unclean Spirit

53. The Way to Greatness

54. Principles of Discipleship

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Mark 9:38-50

“John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us.” ³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. ⁴⁰For he who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

⁴²“And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. ⁴³And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell [Greek: Gehenna], into the unquenchable fire,

⁴⁴ [and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]—not found in earlier manuscripts

⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell [Greek: Gehenna],

⁴⁶[and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]—not found in earlier manuscripts

⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell [Greek: Gehenna], ⁴⁸where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

⁴⁹“For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

INTRODUCTION

Firstly, let's address verses 44 and 46, which are exact copies of verse 48, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

In the earliest and most reliable manuscripts, which include the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, which are fourth-century Greek manuscripts of the Bible that are among the oldest and most complete copies of the Old and New Testaments, serving as primary sources for reconstructing the earliest New Testament text. The phrase only appears once, as written in verse 48.

Later, scribes who read the rhythmic structure of the passage and the warning of Jesus appear to have repeated the line after verses 43 and 45 for emphasis, which created a three-fold refrain.

In manuscript tradition, this is not uncommon. Scholars believe scribes reading the passage liturgically perhaps recalled Isaiah 66:24

“Then they will go forth and look
On the corpses of the men
Who have rebelled against Me.
For their worm will not die
And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an object of contempt to all mankind.”

I know there are some who question whether the text can be trusted because of textual errors such as this, but I assure you, the Spirit of God preserved the text for us, and no doctrine is affected here. Whether the refrain appears once or three times, the warning about eternal judgment remains explicit and unchanged in meaning.

Sorry, Kirk Cameron, but hell is both true torment and eternal punishment, unless you are calling Jesus a liar?

Over the last couple of sermons, we witnessed some of the disciples fail at casting out a demon from a possessed boy, which Jesus, after returning from the transfiguration, scolds them for “lack of faith,” and then proceeds to cast it out.

When the disciples asked why they couldn’t cast it out, Jesus replied, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” Some manuscripts add “fasting,” but again, this is not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.

So, Jesus was upset with them for a lack of faith. But we don’t understand where they were lacking faith until the next message, when, on their way to Capernaum, we see the disciples arguing over which one of them was greater.

It is then that we understand their lack of faith was actually misplaced faith. It appears their pride and self-importance caused them to act in their own “power and authority” instead of having proper faith in the Lord. Which is why they failed.

Jesus then explains to them that the way to greatness is to be a servant, like Jesus. Jesus was a humble servant in all His ministry, and we, too, should be humble and serve.

John then brings up how the disciples saw someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name and tried to stop him because “HE WOULD NOT FOLLOW US.”

The man was clearly placing his faith in Jesus because he accomplished casting the demons out. It was unlikely he would ever speak ill of Jesus. Jesus made it clear that, though the man did not “follow the disciples,” he was still “on their side.”

This is another case against denominations and divisions, and Jesus makes it clear that there is only one church, and He is the head of it. It also teaches that just because someone doesn’t attend your congregational meetings, it does not exclude them from the Body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:3-6 “being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

One redeemed people, not competing bodies, but bound together by truth and by the Spirit.

Jesus says, “…he who is not against us is for us.”

I. HE WHO IS NOT AGAINST US IS ON OUR SIDE

a. The principle

i. In response to John’s question about the disciples seeing a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and the disciples tried to stop him because he would not follow “them,”

ii. Jesus responded, “Do not forbid him.”

iii. The man clearly had Jesus’ approval, else he would not be able to cast out demons.

iv. If he had Jesus’ approval, chances are he wouldn’t speak evil of Jesus.

v. So though he did not “follow” the disciples, the man was still on their side, which is “with Jesus.”

b. The Application

i. Most theologians use this verse to show how denominational rivalry is wrong.

ii. However, it’s not the rivalry between denominations that is wrong, because some denominations are not Christian at all, but rather the thought that denominations exist at all.

iii. Denominationalism itself is wrong because it contradicts scripture.

John 17:21-23 “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe [Greek tense indicates ‘continually believe’] that You sent Me. ²²The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³I in them and You in Me, that they may be finished into unity, so that the world may know [Greek tense indicates ‘continually know’] that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 “Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. ¹²Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” ¹³Christ has been divided! Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

1 Corinthians 3:3-4 “for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking according to mere men? ⁴For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?”

II. EVEN A CUP OF WATER GIVEN IN MY NAME

a. The principle

i. Jesus says he who gives a servant, even a cup of water in His name, will be rewarded

This principle is further explained in Matthew 10:40-42 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴²And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

ii. Even the smallest acts in helping others in the name of the Lord are noticed by Jesus.

b. The application

i. When we help brothers and sisters, or support their ministries, we have fellowship in their work, and Jesus takes notice!

3 John 1:5-8 “Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever ^[work you do for the brothers, and are doing this though they are strangers; ⁶and they bore witness to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷For they went out for the sake of the Name, receiving nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may prove ourselves to be fellow workers for the truth.”

III. SO, DO NOT CAUSE A LITTLE ONE TO STUMBLE

a. The principle

i. “Little one” translated from the Greek refers to one of “low class” or “standing,” and in context with what Jesus is saying, He speaks of either “new believers,” or those who have not yet spiritually matured, but are on their way.

ii. To cause one of these to stumble is a great offense!

Matthew’s gospel expands on this theme in Matthew 18:6-10 “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; nevertheless, woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

⁸And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into the fire of Gehenna.

¹⁰See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”

b. The application

i. We must be very careful about our example and influence on the young

ii. I have said many times that we are examples to our children.

1. That’s it. No matter if we strive to do good or evil, either way, we are examples to our children.

iii. And to others.

1. We are the only bible some will ever see

iv. How do we ensure we do not cause His little ones to stumble?

1 John 5:2 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do His commandments.”

IV. RADICAL ACTION TO AVOID ETERNAL GEHENNA

a. The principle

i. We also read in scripture today that sometimes radical actions are needed for us to avoid Gehenna.

ii. If the fairytale of once saved always saved were true, Jesus would never warn us of doing whatever it takes to avoid the eternal hellfire of Gehenna, just like He warned the disciples and listeners many times in scripture who were all believers.

iii. Some are not willing to do what it takes to cut away sin from their lives, and they will suffer loss. Jesus says. Even those who may hide behind the Name of Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Yahweh knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Yahweh is to depart from wickedness.”

We, who are Christians, are told to “depart from wickedness.” If God is commanding us to “do” this, then it is within our power to depart from sin, and it is also within our power to remain in sin.

It is true no one can snatch us from God’s hand, but we can choose NOT to depart from wickedness, and live in our sin. We CAN walk away from salvation.

Acts 20:29–30

“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Hebrews 3:12

“See to it, brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

Hebrews 6:4–6

“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Hebrews 10:38–39

“BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

2 Peter 2:20–22

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the full knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. The message of the true proverb has happened to them, ‘A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.’”

2 Timothy 4:10

“for Demas, having loved this present age, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”

John 6:66

“As a result of this many of His disciples went away and were not walking with Him anymore.”

1 Timothy 1:19–20

“keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

1 Timothy 4:1

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,”

James 5:19–20

“My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Hebrews 10:26–29

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

Luke 8:13

“And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root; who believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”

Once saved always saved is a terribly dangerous, and unbiblical doctrine of man to ease the conscience of those who are unwilling to cut wickedness and sin from their lives.

It is true, when we are saved, we receive the Holy Spirit of God, and the Lord Himself will empower us to resist the devil until he flees, overcome temptation, repent of our sin and depart from wickedness. However, it is clear in scripture that we can also become once again entangled in it if we desire sin and pleasing our flesh more than loving God.

b. The application

i. If one cut off one hand and plucked out one eye, they still have one hand and one eye to sin with.

ii. But the meaning of the words of Jesus here are this.

iii. If ANYTHING close to us, be it family, friends, work, ANYTHING, keeps us away from God, we MUST remove it from our lives.

Matthew 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

I’ve seen good, well-meaning, Christians loose their way because they loved their spouse more than God.

I’ve seen many well-meaning parents, who love their kids more than God, and end up raising them to think they are more important than God, over-indulgent, selfish and self-centered.

NO GOOD comes for a family who puts anything above God.

Jesus is very serious about an everlasting, never ending, punishment of Gehenna for those whose names are not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Revelation 20:15

He calls it the Second Death. Revelation 21:8

V. SEASONING EFFECTS OF FIRE

a. The principle

i. Salt is symbolic of being preserved

ii. Believers are preserved by the salt of the Spirit of God

iii. This seasoning makes thing better…in the same way, we, as believers with the Holy Spirit, make the world around us better.

iv. The fire is symbolic of God’s testing or judgment, which serves a purpose.

v. Remember in James when we are told to rejoice when we face trials?

1. Because when we do, and we persevere, we are made better. We grow spiritually. This is the purpose for trials and tests in our lives.

2. God isn’t trying to make our lives miserable, He is trying to prepare us, and refine us and purify us for better service to Him!

vi. So we rejoice!

vii. However, if you succumb to the test and trial, you are no longer being refined or purified, but condemned.

b. The application

i. Appreciate the purifying nature of trials and difficulties!

James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. ⁴And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

ii. Do you want to be spiritually mature, and complete, and lack nothing??? The persevere and let the trial and testing bring about its perfect work in you, purifying you and refining you!

And, as difficult as it may seem at the time, there can be glory in suffering for the Lord’s sake!

Romans 5:3-5 “we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction brings about perseverance; ⁴and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

CONCLUSION

We learn from today’s text about the principles of discipleship.

· He who is not against us, is on our side

· Even a cup of water given in His name

· Not causing a little one to stumble

· Radical action to avoid eternal punishment of Gehenna

· Salt preserves, the fire (divine testing or judging work of God) purifies and refines us. For the unrepentant, it is condemning.

· Things to remember, other’s do not have to “follow our ministry,” church, plans, etc, to be faithful to the Lord.

· Sometimes, we may only be able to help in the smallest of ways, but the Lord notices. P.S. He also notices when you could do more but choose not to.

· We cannot arrogantly overlook the needs of the little ones around us

· We also need to remember that there are times we have to deny ourselves things that mean a lot to us if those things are leading us down the wrong path.

· We need to humbly accept the testing or judgment of God in our lives as a purifying fire that will refine us.

§ Unless we are unrepentant

Without the salt of remaining in the Lord, which preserves us, God’s testing and judgment then becomes condemnation to us.

The way of following Jesus requires humility on our part, faith in Him as opposed to ourselves or anything else, and in turn, we will find ourselves “at peace with one another.” Mark 9:50

If you are not at peace with other believers, chances are, you have a problem with humility.

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Thursday, February 26, 2026

Gospel of Mark Part 54: Principles of Discipleship

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